Indian filmmaker Farah Khan recently visited actors Ashwini Kalsekar and Murali Sharma for a vlog. The casual cooking session turned into a nostalgic walk down memory lane, highlighting the chaotic reality of filming pre-CGI action sequences in the early 2000s.
The conversation centered around Farah’s directorial debut with “Main Hoon Na” (2004), starring Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, and Suniel Shetty. Sharma recalled his first day on set, where he attempted a realistic, method-acting approach but was rebuffed by Farah.
Farah, known for her sharp wit and commercial appeal, famously yelled over 250 crew members, “Murali, what are you doing, darling? What is this Maqbool kind of acting? Don’t make it so realistic.” She often pushed actors out of their serious theatre shells, even veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah.
The vlog also revealed a stunt gone awry. Sharma was rigged to a harness and instructed to exit a vehicle, floating up to the first floor during the shoot. Due to basic safety equipment in 2004, he gripped the car door for stability. When the stunt crew pulled the wires, the machinery ripped the door off its hinges, causing laughter from the crew.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan arrived later and “rolled on the floor laughing.” The vlog also provided fans a glimpse into Sharma and Ashwini’s 25-year relationship, with Ashwini jokingly recalling Sharma’s attitude when he worked as a journalist before becoming a staple in Bollywood and South Indian cinema.